Soft Potato Dinner Rolls

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •9x13-inch baking dish or two 9-inch round cake pans
• •Potato masher or ricer
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Clean kitchen towels for covering

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the potatoes

   Peel the russets and cut them into two-inch chunks. Place them in a pot and cover with cold water by an inch. Add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until completely tender, about fifteen to twenty minutes. A fork should slide through with no resistance at all.

   Russets are essential here. Their high starch content creates the softest crumb. Waxy potatoes will not give you the same result.
2. 2

   Mash and cool

   Drain the potatoes well, reserving half a cup of the cooking water. Return potatoes to the warm pot and mash until completely smooth with no lumps. You need one cup of mashed potato, measured and packed. Spread the mash on a plate to cool to room temperature. Hot potatoes will kill your yeast.

3. 3

   Bloom the yeast

   Pour the warm milk into a large mixing bowl. It should feel like bathwater against your wrist, warm but not hot. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface and let it sit undisturbed for five minutes. The yeast should foam and smell alive, like bread rising somewhere in your memory.

   If your yeast does not foam, it is dead. Start again with fresh yeast rather than waste your flour and time.
4. 4

   Build the dough

   Add the cooled mashed potato, softened butter, honey, salt, and eggs to the yeast mixture. Stir until combined. The mixture will look rough and lumpy. That is fine. Add four and a half cups of flour, one cup at a time, stirring after each addition until a shaggy dough forms.

5. 5

   Knead until silky

   Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Knead for eight to ten minutes, adding flour a tablespoon at a time only if the dough sticks badly to your hands. The dough should become smooth, supple, and slightly tacky. When you press it with a floured finger, it should spring back slowly. This is the moment when you have done enough.

   Resist adding too much flour. A slightly sticky dough makes the softest rolls. Dry dough makes dense bread.
6. 6

   First rise

   Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat all sides. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Set in a warm spot, away from drafts. Let it rise until doubled in size, about one and a half hours. The dough is ready when you poke it with a finger and the indent remains.

7. 7

   Shape the rolls

   Gently deflate the dough and turn it onto a clean surface. Divide into twenty-four equal pieces. Cup each piece under your palm and roll in tight circles against the counter until you have a smooth, taut ball. The surface tension is what gives rolls their shape. Arrange in a buttered nine-by-thirteen baking dish, spacing evenly in rows of four by six.

8. 8

   Second rise

   Cover the pan loosely with a towel and let the rolls rise until puffy and touching each other, about forty-five minutes to an hour. They should look pillowy and have nearly doubled. When you press gently, the dough should feel like a firm pillow.

9. 9

   Bake until golden

   Preheat your oven to 375°F during the last twenty minutes of rising. Bake the rolls until the tops are deep golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 190°F, about twenty to twenty-five minutes. The rolls should sound hollow when you tap them. If the tops brown too quickly, tent loosely with foil.

10. 10

    Brush and serve

    Remove from the oven and immediately brush the tops generously with melted butter. Let the rolls rest in the pan for five minutes, then serve warm. They are meant to be torn and shared while the butter still glistens.

Chef Tips

• •The reserved potato cooking water is insurance. If your dough seems too stiff, add it a tablespoon at a time. Potato water contains starch that helps the bread stay soft.
• •For the lightest rolls, do not rush the rising. Cold kitchens need more time. A warm oven with just the light on creates a perfect proofing environment.
• •Stone-ground flour has more flavor and character than commodity flour. Look for a regional mill. The difference will surprise you.
• •Brush with butter twice if you want. Once out of the oven, once after five minutes. No one will complain about too much butter on a dinner roll.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be made through the first rise, then refrigerated overnight. Shape cold dough into rolls the next morning and allow a longer second rise at room temperature, about two hours.
• •Baked rolls freeze beautifully for up to one month. Wrap tightly in foil, then place in a freezer bag. Reheat in a 350°F oven for ten minutes, still wrapped in foil.
• •For Thanksgiving timing, shape rolls the night before, cover tightly, and refrigerate. Pull them out two hours before dinner to rise, then bake fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 55g)